Comstock Metals Opens California Hub to Channel Retired Solar Panels Into Recycling Network

Comstock Metals has launched its first California-based facility to collect and prepare end-of-life solar panels, expanding its recycling network in the largest U.S. solar market as panel retirements begin to accelerate, according to the company reporting.

The new site, located in California’s Central Valley, functions as a regional intake and staging hub rather than a full processing plant. Panels received there are sorted, prepared, and shipped to Comstock Metals’ permitted recycling operation in Nevada, where materials are recovered for reuse. The company said the California presence is intended to shorten transport distances, reduce costs for solar asset owners, and ensure compliance with state and federal handling rules.

California has more installed solar capacity than any other U.S. state, driven by aggressive renewable targets and utility-scale buildout over the past decade. While most panels remain in service, early utility projects and damaged or underperforming modules are already entering the waste stream. Analysts say volumes are expected to rise sharply after 2030, when the first wave of large-scale installations reaches the end of its 25- to 30-year design life.

Efforts to manage solar waste have lagged deployment. The United States has no federal extended producer responsibility framework for photovoltaic panels, and recycling options remain uneven by region. Observers note that California’s landfill restrictions and tightening environmental oversight are pushing developers and utilities to seek certified recycling pathways rather than disposal.

Comstock Metals said the Central Valley facility will accept panels from commercial and utility-scale projects, as well as approved institutional sources. The site consolidates loads and coordinates logistics before shipping material across state lines to Nevada, where metals including aluminum, copper, silver, and smaller quantities of specialty elements are recovered. The company describes its process as closed-loop, with recovered materials reintroduced into manufacturing supply chains.

Industry groups argue that localized collection infrastructure is a missing link in solar recycling economics. Transport costs and fragmented logistics have been a barrier to broader adoption of recycling, particularly for older panels with lower residual value. By placing a hub near major solar corridors, Comstock aims to make compliance simpler for developers, engineering firms, and installers managing decommissioning work.

Company executives said the California expansion is part of a broader strategy to build a distributed network of collection and preprocessing sites feeding centralized recycling plants. Analysts say that model mirrors approaches used in electronics and battery recycling, where scale and logistics efficiency determine commercial viability.

Market watchers expect more states to scrutinize solar end-of-life practices as installed capacity continues to grow. If regulatory pressure increases, demand for certified recycling capacity could rise faster than current infrastructure, favoring operators with established interstate networks.

Source: Comstock

SUNSHINE Spotlight: The opening of Comstock Metals’ California hub signals an early move to prepare for the coming surge of retired solar panels in the nation’s largest solar market.